Lady Antebellum to host prom for tornado-ravaged school

Story highlights

Lady Antebellum chooses Henryville Junior-Senior High School for "Own the Night" prom

"Things like this help them feel whole again," superintendent says

A rival school nominated the Henryville students for the party

May 16 party will be followed by concert to raise money for local disaster relief fund

Students at an Indiana high school heavily damaged by a tornado this month will have a private prom party thrown by the country music trio Lady Antebellum, followed by a public concert to raise money for their community.

The country music group announced last week that Henryville Junior-Senior High School was the winner of its "Own the Night" prom contest based on a video entry submitted by a rival Clark County, Indiana, school.

"Now, don't get me wrong, we would love to have you at our prom, but there's another school in the West Clark family that deserves it more than any other school in the country," Silver Creek High School senior Luke Gillenwater said in the winning video.

Lady Antebellum was already booked April 27, the night of the Henryville prom, so they set aside May 16 for a prom party in KFC YUM! Center in nearby Louisville, Kentucky, the group said Tuesday.

All the money raised from a public concert after the prom party will be donated to a local disaster relief fund, the group said.

"Helping rebuild this community is our biggest priority right now," Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott said. "We were so moved by the stories from Henryville High School but also from the students at their rival schools who raised their hands and said they wanted to help."

Damage done by the March 2 tornado closed the campus until the fall. Students are scheduled to resume classes April 2 in an industrial building 10 miles away.

"They missed so much with the school being destroyed that things like this help them feel whole again," West Clark Community Schools Superintendent Monty Schneider said. "They will be talking about the tornadoes for the rest of their lives, but this event will give them something positive to reflect on about that time."